By Kate Hodges
22nd September 2017
RECIPE Egg-Cep-Tional
Wild mushrooms are bursting from our forest floors and meadows. You should swot up before you forage, and be wary about what you pick, but free-range fungi are some of the most delicate-tasting treats you’ll find in the wild. There’s a mouthwatering selection of recipes here - the wild mushroom and mozzarella risotto cakes and wild mushroom and walnut pasta look out of this world, while Stevie Parle’s simple wild mushroom and mascarpone omelette is a Sunday brunch classic-in-waiting. Get up early, take a wander in the mist, and create a breakfast of dreams.
MAKE and LEARN Style It Out
London Fashion Week is in full swing. Be inspired by the cutting edge design parading down the catwalk, and get creating! We love this simple, beginners guide to screen printing – try making your own tees and totes; if you perfect the art fast, you’ll have plenty of gifts for Christmas. Alternatively, there’s a paper fashion doll for everyone; this selection on Pinterest ranges from Victorian cut-out-and-dressers to 1950s circus performers and Star Trekkers and there’s another great selection here (we love the vintage seventies ones). Older kids might like to start making their own clothes; there are some neat, no-sew customising tricks here or start learning about stitching and pattern-making here. LFW is also a great springboard to talk about sustainable fashion; Teen Vogue have a great, young person-friendly guide to ethical shopping.
EVENT Apples and Pears
Events in London don’t get much more traditional than the annual Pearly Kings and Queens Harvest Festival, which is held on the last Sunday in September. The unofficial royal family of the East End get decked out in their finest pearl-button-covered suits and spangly hats for a right knees-up, and no mistake, guvnor. Starting at Guildhall Yard, there are donkeys and carts, morris dancers, huge workhorses, mayors, maypole dancing, and traditional cockney songs then a parade to St Mary-le-Bow church for a harvest festival service. Worth going to hear the ear-shattering clangs of the Bow Bells
LEARN Seasonal Science
Autumn always inspires our crafty side, but this year, we’re making an effort to try some seasonal STEM ideas. There’s a considered selection here; we like the apple bubble science, owl pellet dissection (there’s a good guide to finding your own here) and this great chromatography experiment that reveals the hidden colours of leaves.
EVENT Play Away
This weekend is your last chance to take in Barnsley Civic’s The Toy Box: From Pop to Present exhibition. See toys through the lens of contemporary art and design through paintings, prints, fashion and sculpture, as well as a collection examining how toy companies collaborate with artists to create collectable art models. Great for older kids. Free.
